Materials:
Procedure:
1.
Brainstorm
knowledge about the manatee. Place it
on a piece of chart paper. Ask children
what they want to learn about the manatees.
Write their questions on a separate piece of chart paper. Students can also begin an
Ocean Journal on their computers and write their questions in their journal.
Teacher can create an Ocean Journal template for
students to use or they can design their own format. They will save their
entries to a disk and on the hard drive.
2.
Place
student into groups of two. Each group
will go to a computer with Internet access and research the web site: Save
the Manatee. Read
about manatee behavior and answer some of the following questions:
Q. Do manatees have good eyesight?A.
Surprisingly enough, manatees have fairly good visual acuity and can
distinguish between different-sized objects, different colors, and patterns.
Their eyes are small, and they have a nictitating membrane that can be drawn
across the eyeball for protection. Q. What is the “peduncle” of a manatee?A. The peduncle
is the base of the tail, right where it connects to the body of the manatee. Q. What is the average weight of a manatee?A. The average
adult manatee is about 10-12 feet long and weighs about 1,500-1,800 pounds. Q. What is the record weight of a manatee?A. Adult
manatees have been known to exceed lengths of 13 feet and weigh over 3,500
pounds. Q. Do manatees have teeth?A. They do,
and one of the interesting things about manatees is that they have what is
known as "marching molars." In fact, molars are the only type of
teeth that manatees have. Their teeth are also unique because they are
constantly replaced. They form at the back of the jaw, wear down as they move
forward, and eventually fall out! Tooth replacement is an adaptation to the
manatee's diet of abrasive plants that are often mixed with sand. Q. What are the kinds and sizes of manatee boat scars? Are any scars curable, or do they stay on the manatees forever?A. Many
manatees have "skeg" marks. A skeg is part of a motor on the boat. It
extends slightly below the propeller and can sometimes come in contact with
the manatee without the propeller making contact, creating a single
longitudinal gash. When a manatee gets hit by a boat propeller, it also
creates prop wounds which take the form of a parallel series of slash marks.
If the injury is deep enough, it can be seen on the manatee forever. If the
injury is superficial, it will still be there, but you wouldn't be able to
see it unless you got very close as skin would grow on top of it. Q. Does a manatee's skin ever change color?A. When
manatees are born, they are a gray-black in color. Within a month they change
to gray. Manatee adults range in color from gray to brownish-gray. Q. What is the “green stuff” you see on their bodies?A. Manatees
that are found in fresh water often have algae growing on their backs.
Manatees that are found in salt water sometimes will have barnacles attached
to them -- just like boats found in those waters! Q. What is the purpose of a manatee's whiskers?A. Although
the exact purpose is not clear, it is thought the “vibrisae” or whiskers on a
manatee’s snout are sensory in function. Researchers have discovered that
each whisker has a nerve connection to a small cluster of cells in the
manatee’s brain devoted exclusively to that whisker! Further research may
solve more of these mysteries. Q. Do manatees have blowholes?Manatees do
not have blowholes. They breathe through nostrils, like seals. Their nostrils
have fleshy "valves" that close when they are underwater Q. Why can't manatees adapt well to cold water?A. Modern manatees evolved in the tropics and subtropics. In spite of their size, they have very little body fat. These factors may account for their susceptibility to cold water. Because manatees are herbivores, their metabolic rate is low compared with other aquatic mammals. |
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3. Students
will research facts about the manatee and record their findings on a piece of
paper or in computer Ocean Journal.
4. The
teacher will ask the students if they learned any new knowledge about manatees
and write it on the first piece of chart paper.
5. The
teacher will demonstrate how to write a diamante poem. Follow the format below. The students must
use their new knowledge about manatees to complete the following poem.
6.
o ____________________
o noun
o
_______________ _______________
o
verbs ending in ing
o
_________ _______ ________ ______
o _______________________________________
o a
short phrase
o _____________
synonym
of the noun
o
7. Publish the poem by typing then printing text. Cut out a diamond shape from a piece of construction paper. Cut and paste text on the diamond.
8. Students can also write the poem using desktop publishing; use the draw application to create a diamond shape and create a text box for text.
9. Illustrate the background by making an ocean scene. Include a manatee in your illustrations!
Tip:
Proofread and spell check before printing anything.
The
students will create an original diamante poem about the manatee. Use a Diamante Rubric
to grade the poems.
H
Homework:
G
Visit Sea World and click on Animal Resources. Click on Animal Bytes and scroll down to manatee; click. Read about the manatee and tell where it lives (All manatees inhabit tropical and subtropical waters of North and South America and Africa. The West Indian and West African manatees live in rivers, bays, estuaries, and coastal areas. They can move freely between freshwater and saltwater habitats).
E
Extension Activity: Post a Poem on the Internet
·
Students
will visit Enchanted
Forest and click on Poetry Pals.
·
They
can post their manatee diamante poem there and read other student’s poetry
· Teacher will collect all poems
· Students will vote on which poems to include in a class manatee poem book